Diana Garnet, one of the few prominent foreign artists signed to a major Japanese record label, will perform at the 2016 Otakon Matsuri, Otakorp Inc. is pleased to announce.

Born in Washington D.C., U.S.A., Garnet was heavily influenced by her anime-loving father, and was immersed into anime culture at a young age. Hearing "Yuzurenai Negai" by Naomi Tamura inspired her lifetime goal to become a singer in Japan.

On her third trip to Japan, she began to work as a middle-school English teacher, when a life-changing opportunity arose. In 2013, she took part in a nationwide karaoke TV show for foreigners, called "Nodojiman! THE WORLD 2013 Spring" on NTV and was crowned the winner, also securing a major label debut at the same time.

After releasing cover works for her first single and mini-album, Garnet’s first original single, "Spinning World," was chosen as the ending theme song for the mega-hit anime, "Naruto: Shippuden," making her the first female solo foreign artist to sing an anime theme song. Since then, she has also featured in FLOW’s best album as a guest vocalist, and was also tapped as one of the “likely breakout stars of 2015” in Yahoo! Japan’s Video Topic Awards.

Her second original single, "Nankai! Mystery," was chosen as the theme song for the NHK E-TV anime "Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note," which will air from October 2015 to March 2016, further elevating her status among anime and mass audiences alike. ​The Otakon Matsuri is an outdoor street festival that will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, August 11 at Baltimore's beautiful West Shore Park at the Inner Harbor. Admission is free to both the Otakorp membership as well as to the general public. The event features many attractions to keep attendees well-occupied: games, contests, prizes, live entertainment, great food, and even Otakon guests, who have been known to stop by and take part in the festivities. Otakon 2016 will be held August 12-14 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD.

​ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its twenty-third year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore's few large, city-wide events, drawing over 34,000 people for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 100,000 turnstile attendees). Otakon is a membership based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see http://www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2015, see http://www.otakon.com/